"Master, I think we shouldn't let Ebihara-sensei go to the restroom."
After feeding Hachiman a bite of food with one hand holding the chopsticks and the other cupped underneath, watching him open his mouth and eat it, Kushida Kikyo spoke up considerately and offered her suggestion.
"Not letting Urara go to the restroom?"
Hachiman looked at Kushida Kikyo in some confusion as she stopped Ebihara Urara. Ebihara Urara, who had just been about to stand up and leave, also stiffened, a bad premonition rising in her heart.
"Master, isn't punishment meant to make people uncomfortable? If it doesn't make you uncomfortable, how can it be called punishment?"
Kushida Kikyo seemed not to notice Ebihara Urara staring at her in disbelief. Her energetic smile remained unchanged as she lightly blinked her eyes while meeting Hachiman's gaze.
"How about treating this as the punishment? Let Ebihara-sensei hold it in until you finish eating, Master. If you haven't finished eating yet and she can't hold it anymore, then next time let Ebihara-sensei accept an even harsher punishment."
"Kushida-san? You..."
Ebihara Urara glared at Kushida Kikyo. She was so angry she did not even know what to say. She could not understand at all why Kushida Kikyo, who was also an exclusive maid, would deliberately make things difficult for her.
If there were some kind of conflict between them, she could understand it. But normally, when she taught students at school, she was always gentle and kind, never raising her voice to scold anyone.
In fact, today was the first time she had properly spoken with Kushida Kikyo. Before this, they had practically no interaction at all.
"Master, please don't misunderstand. There's no conflict between Ebihara-sensei and me. I just feel that Urara, as your exclusive maid, can't even manage to sit on your lap and feed you properly, let alone do other, more intimate service work."
Kushida Kikyo did not care about Ebihara Urara herself, but she cared about Hachiman's opinion of her. Seeing him quietly watching her and waiting for an explanation, she slowly spoke the reason she had just thought up.
"I'm worried that Ebihara-sensei is completely unqualified for the job of an exclusive maid. That's why I suggested she use this punishment as a chance to try getting used to being intimate with you, Master."
"Not being able to hold it right now isn't a big problem. But if she can't hold it while serving you, then Ebihara-sensei should just go do ordinary maid work together with Sayo."
"I heard from Head Maid Shion that Ebihara-sensei's debt is only fifty million. If worst comes to worst, she can find another fiance to repay the debt together. If two people work and earn money together, they should be able to pay it off in less than ten years."
Kushida Kikyo could almost be said to be making no effort at all to hide her intention to squeeze Ebihara Urara out.
Sayo had run away, and she probably would not be coming back anytime soon. Since Ebihara Urara was still here, she could let Ebihara Urara take Sayo's place and receive her retaliation.
She did not think that Ebihara Urara, someone who had already entered society and was working, would be as clueless about what fifty million meant as Sayo, who had grown up in a well-off family and had only recently suffered the harshness of society without fully recognizing reality yet.
Fifty million did not sound like that much. If an ordinary married couple worked and earned money, with their combined annual income exceeding ten million, they could save it up in a few years by not eating or drinking.
But in reality, many families had no habit of saving, or for various reasons could not save that much money. Some did not even have five million in savings.
She believed that Ebihara Urara would definitely choose to accept this punishment and continue staying on as Hachiman's exclusive maid.
Of course, if Ebihara Urara really left, she would be just as happy, even happier.
Out of the three exclusive maids, one had already left. If she could also drive Ebihara Urara away, then the only exclusive maid left by Hachiman's side would be herself. Who he would favor then went without saying.
The future head of the Rurikawa family was Hachiman, not Rurikawa Tsubaki.
They were both personal maids, but her status as the one personally serving Hachiman would be even higher than that of Head Maid Shion, who personally served Rurikawa Tsubaki.
When that time came... it would be Maid Shion's turn to curry favor with her.
"This..."
Ebihara Urara lowered her head and bit her lower lip, clenching her fists against her white-stockinged thighs, her heart tangled with conflict.
Although she felt helpless toward Kushida's wild guesses about her thoughts, such as finding another fiance to repay the debt together.
How could a fiance be found so casually? Looking for a fiance with the intention of making them repay your debt together was far too cruel.
What was more, she had just found out that the fiance who had even met her parents had deceived her. She felt that she would never look for a fiance again in this lifetime.
As for switching to ordinary maid work.
At the beginning, she had been an ordinary maid, and she did not even have to do much work.
The hostility Kushida Kikyo showed toward her made Ebihara Urara feel deeply aggrieved and confused.
However, after hearing Kushida Kikyo's reason for stopping her from going to the restroom, the shame and anger in her heart slowly calmed down.
In some respects, what Kushida said was indeed not wrong. She had decided to become Hachiman's exclusive maid, as atonement for the fiance with whom she had almost become husband and wife.
Yet now, she could not even manage slightly intimate behavior. Someone like her, let alone being an exclusive maid, probably did not even deserve to stay in the Rurikawa household as an ordinary maid.
"Urara, go to the restroom first. Don't hurt yourself holding it in," Hachiman glanced somewhat speechlessly at Kushida Kikyo, who still had an energetic smile on her face, and instructed Ebihara Urara, whose legs were still tense and who was still hesitating.
Ebihara Urara might not know that Kushida Kikyo was a two-faced little angel who looked cute and considerate on the surface while constantly cursing you behind your back, but how could he not know.
It had to be said, Kushida Kikyo was really petty.
She had only just met Ebihara Urara not long ago, and she was already targeting her.
Fortunately, Kushida Kikyo was currently trying to curry favor with him. No matter who she was hostile toward, she would not dare direct that hostility at him. Otherwise, he might already have wanted to give Kushida Kikyo a harsh lesson.
"Um, Hi... Master, could I accept this punishment privately next time?"
Hearing Hachiman tell her to go to the restroom, Ebihara Urara, who had been biting her lip tightly the whole time, finally made up her mind. Her cheeks were burning hot, flushed as if on fire. She lowered her head and eyes, not daring to meet Hachiman's gaze.
"We're in the student council office right now. It's easy to dirty your pants, Master, the sofa, the floor... and Kaede-san and Rurikawa-san might come back later..."
After thinking it through, she felt she could not keep running away. She needed to adapt to being intimate with Hachiman, just as Kushida said, in order to be qualified as an exclusive maid.
But she had not forgotten that they were currently in the student council office. Although Head Maid Shion had taken Sayo away to handle things, the student council president Kaede, secretary Suzu, and vice president Rurikawa Tsubaki had not eaten lunch yet. They could finish dealing with the demi-human side and come over at any time.
She should not have shown such an embarrassing, undignified side of herself in front of Hachiman in the first place. It was only because Hachiman was the master she was to serve that she could keep persuading herself to barely accept it.
But if she were to be seen like this by students other than Hachiman-kun... even if the entire student council was made up of girls, she still could not accept it.
"Ebihara-sensei, don't worry. Head Maid Shion said that Master knows invisibility magic. You can just sit on Master's lap and serve him. If you really can't hold it and dirty the floor, Master's cleaning magic can easily take care of it," Kushida Kikyo was very disappointed in Ebihara Urara, who had accepted the shameful punishment challenge without any bottom line.
She was usually so dignified and elegant, but after leaning in Hachiman's arms for such a short time, she had already thrown all shame aside.
Still, even though the extremely double-standard Kushida Kikyo was cursing inwardly, she maintained a cute, lively smile on the surface and kindly reminded Ebihara Urara not to worry about holding it in.
She herself had just been tormented by Hachiman in front of everyone, to the point her face was about to cramp from smiling. Her skirt had been lifted again and again.
And now you wanted to be punished privately and enjoy some alone time with Hachiman?
You want to get closer to Hachiman without embarrassing yourself? Where is such a good deal to be found.
"Then, then Master, I'll continue feeding you."
Looking at Kushida Kikyo, who was staring at her intently and repeatedly finding all sorts of reasons to make her undergo punishment on Hachiman's thigh in the student council office, Ebihara Urara suddenly realized why Kushida Kikyo was targeting her.
Perhaps it was because she had just seen Kushida's embarrassing side.
Now Kushida wanted to see her embarrassing side with her own eyes.
After understanding the reason behind Kushida Kikyo's hostility, the heavy, depressed feeling in Ebihara Urara's heart suddenly lightened a lot. Her tense body even relaxed slightly.
Since no one else was here right now, if she let Kushida see her embarrassing side with her own eyes, then Kushida probably would not keep targeting her anymore, right?
They were all Hachiman's exclusive maids. They should help each other and get along amicably.
But, was it really okay to do this? Wouldn't it be a bit improper?
Once she really did it, even if she stopped being an exclusive maid, she would no longer be able to establish a teacher's authority in front of Hachiman.
Although it seemed she did not really need to establish authority anyway. Hachiman was far more reliable than her fiance had been. What qualifications did she even have to lecture Hachiman.
As Ebihara Urara picked up food and brought it to Hachiman's mouth, she thought anxiously. Suddenly, she noticed the engagement ring on her finger, and her gaze darkened.
The long, smooth legs wrapped in a thin layer of flesh-colored white stockings, which had been tightly clamping around Hachiman, relaxed slightly.
Kushida Kikyo did not know that Ebihara Urara had misunderstood her intentions and was actually thinking about reconciling with her. Seeing Ebihara Urara truly forcing herself to serve Hachiman while enduring her nervous and excited body, she bit her lip hard as well, pressed half her body against Hachiman, and held a piece of fragrant, tender lobster ball between her lips, slowly bringing it to Hachiman's mouth.
After Hachiman ate the lobster ball bite by bite, savoring it for a while, he opened his mouth and bit into the refreshing, sweet vegetable that Ebihara Urara offered from the other side.
Only then did Kushida Kikyo release her slender arms, which she did not know why had wrapped themselves around Hachiman's neck. She lightly panted and adjusted her breathing, shook her head, suppressed the love-brained urge to keep kissing Hachiman, took out her phone, flipped to some photos in her album that showed youthful, girlish vitality, and showed them to Hachiman as she cautiously voiced another little thought of hers.
"Master, our class's teacher Chabashira isn't inferior to Ebihara-sensei. In fact, our class also has many pretty and cute girls. If you like, Master, you can recruit them to be your maids."
Since she could not make Ebihara Urara leave, then she would divert Hachiman's interest from Ebihara Urara to others.
She knew that she had been recruited by Head Maid Shion of the Rurikawa family. She herself was just an exclusive maid without much authority.
But if she obtained Hachiman's permission and personally recruited a group of maids, then wouldn't those maids have to listen to her?
She had made her intentions so obvious that there was a good chance Hachiman would let her, who was good at jealousy, compete with Maid Shion. After all, Maid Shion was Rurikawa Tsubaki's personal maid, while she was the maid personally promoted by Hachiman.
"If there are classmates around you, Kikyo, who want to come work for the Rurikawa family as maids, you can recruit them directly."
Looking at Kushida Kikyo, who had just offered her first kiss and was already eager to drag others down with her, Hachiman let go of Ebihara Urara, whose pretty face was flushed bright red, reached out and gently pinched Kushida Kikyo's fair, rounded cheek, and said with some amusement.
"Remember, you're not allowed to force them. They have to come voluntarily."
He did not really mind Kushida Kikyo's ambition. There were already plenty of cliques and small factions forming in the service club. What kind of trouble could a rootless Kushida Kikyo really stir up?
Kushida Kikyo was a bad woman, that was true. But as long as she was properly trained, a bad woman would only bring him greater pleasure.
"I absolutely won't force them. They all admire you and want to become your maids. But, Master... what about their treatment?"
Seeing that Hachiman agreed without hesitation, Kushida Kikyo firmly pressed Hachiman's hand against herself, letting him feel her feelings at zero distance, and promised with a beaming smile.
She would have to be crazy to force others to come be maids. She did not even want to recruit people who were not sincere enough.
Otherwise, if things got messed up like Maid Shion's case this time, Hachiman would probably stop her from recruiting people.
"As for their treatment... whether they want to be my exclusive maids or ordinary maids, follow the normal method. You're fully responsible. If there are any special situations, report to me."
After thinking for a moment, Hachiman instructed Kushida Kikyo.
"Also, Kikyo, Karuizawa Kei in your class is also mine. Make sure there aren't any conflicts between you."
He thought about it and did not give special treatment to the maids recruited by Kushida Kikyo, because the treatment for maids in the Rurikawa family was already extremely good.
Although he had never studied management, he felt that once he started treating so many part-time student maids differently, it would instead cause dissatisfaction among the other maids in the Rurikawa household toward Kushida Kikyo and her group.
"Thank you, Master. Kikyo loves you the most!"
Hearing that Hachiman let her have full authority over the maids she recruited, without even needing Maid Shion's approval, Kushida Kikyo was overjoyed and kissed Hachiman several times.
She had long guessed that Karuizawa Kei had something going on with Hachiman. Otherwise, she would not have been able to secure the disciplinary committee position in advance. She did not really care about Karuizawa Kei anyway.
Just thinking about how there would be many more maids under her who would need to curry favor with her, and that perhaps even that always stone-faced teacher Chabashira Sae would have to listen to her.
She suddenly felt that the dissolution of Advanced Nurturing High School did not seem so bad.
If she had not come to Sobu High, she might still have been happy over the one hundred thousand yen monthly allowance at Advanced Nurturing High School. And even that allowance was only available at the beginning. Once points were deducted, it would not be that much.
Now, before she had even graduated, just by becoming Hachiman's exclusive maid, she could earn a generous salary and hold considerable power. If she later seized Maid Shion's position as head maid and became the head maid under the master of the Rurikawa family, above all the other maids.
Kushida Kikyo's unrestrained fantasy was quickly interrupted by a wave of warmth. She lowered her head to look at the over-the-knee black stockings on her legs, blinked, then looked toward Ebihara Urara, who was sitting in Hachiman's arms with her legs pressed together as she leaned against him.
The already thin, flesh-revealing white stockings were now tightly clinging to Ebihara Urara's long, full legs, revealing healthy, fair skin.
"Ebihara-sensei? That fast?"
"..."
Ebihara Urara, who had just been feeding Hachiman, was now silently leaning against his shoulder. Her jet-black hair covered her now completely reddened, jade-like face, and she did not dare meet Kushida Kikyo's gaze.
There was no need to keep hesitating anymore... Doing something like this in front of a student, she had already failed as a teacher.
———
[Corridor]
Four figures walked together toward the student council office, speaking softly as they discussed transfer students and exchange students.
"The Aoe and Kiriya families from the demi-human faction are enrolling early this time. Next, the human transfer students originally scheduled to enroll next Monday may also get the news and come early."
"Let them come. There are exams these two days anyway. They can finish the enrollment procedures and then it'll be the weekend."
"Besides the consortium heiresses who applied for enrollment last time, schools like Shuchiin Academy, Sakura Spring Girls' Academy, Angel Academy, Seika Girls' Academy, and Excellent Girls' Academy all want to establish exchange and cooperative learning relationships with Sobu High."
"Tell them that Sobu High has no plans to send students out for exchange."
"They said that even one-sided exchanges are fine. Their schools will cover the exchange students' expenses themselves. They just want us to provide a dormitory where everyone can live and study together, and they'll sponsor an expansion and renovation fee for Sobu High, hoping we can provide more exchange student slots."
"These schools really know how to scheme! Applying individually isn't enough, now they want to send people in bulk?"
Hearing her younger sister Suzu's report, Kaede was left speechless.
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